Study on Transitioning Pastoralism Towards a Green Economy: Social, Economic and Environmental Potentials Consultancy Vacancy at IUCN Kenya 2013
Terms of Reference (TOR)
Theme: “Transitioning pastoralism towards a green economy: social, economic and environmental potentials”.
The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP)
The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP) is a programme under IUCN’s Global Drylands Initiative.
WISP is a global advocacy and capacity building network that promotes sustainable pastoral development for both poverty reduction and environmental management. WISP is a catalyst for partnership fostering between pastoralists, governments, Non-Governmental Organizations, International Organizations and the private sector.
With its knowledge management approach and its engagement for advocacy, capacity building and networking, the programme contributes to enabling pastoralists to sustainably manage the rangelands and to demonstrate that their land use and system is an effective way of harnessing natural rangeland resources.
Pastoralist communities are often socially and politically marginalised.
Their livelihoods are frequently undermined by inappropriate policies and laws and by pressures on their resources from more politically powerful neighbours and other competitors.
WISP therefore works to empower pastoralists and pastoral institutions by enabling them to gather knowledge and influence policies that constrain their livelihoods and their ability to sustainably manage their resources.
WISP provides the social, economic and environmental arguments for to improve perceptions of pastoralism as a viable and sustainable resource management system.
WISP also advocates for an enabling environment for sustainable rangeland management, improved pastoral livelihoods and pastoral empowerment.
WISP seeks to recruit a consultant to conduct a study on “Transitioning pastoralism towards a green economy: social, economic and environmental potentials”
Summary
IUCN expects to receive some case studies on pastoralist governance based on a common analytical framework (deadline for submission will be October 30th, 2013).
The consultant is tasked with reviewing and editing the case studies and producing a publishable synthesis report that captures globally-relevant lessons and an analysis.
The synthesis report will include recommendations to policy makers and practitioners for strengthening support for pastoralism transitioning towards a green economy, including recommendations on how governance can be better supported through international agreements and environmental conventions.
Background
In the past, pastoralism was often seen as responsible of environmental degradation in the drylands. These negative conceptions on pastoralism are strongly influenced by the extensive strategies of production which characterizes it, and also by the images of overgrazing and land degradation around water sources during certain droughts.
These misconceptions have led to inadequate, often hostile, development policies and interventions which have erected major barriers to sustainable land management and have entrenched pastoral poverty.
Nowadays, progress of knowledge on the viability of pastoralism is certain.
Pastoralism constitutes a viable system of production and lands use in the drylands, and also a sustainable solution of environmental maintenance in favour of biodiversity. However, the results of this progress remain unknown, especially regarding the contribution of pastoralism to the green economy.
The role of traditionally excluded groups in this innovation, such as women and youth, tends also to be ignored.
Alternative options of policies remain to be formulated.
Among these alternatives, the option to support pastoralism and to strengthen this system of production towards the options of an inclusive and green economy motivated by the social welfare and solidly anchored on the sustainable modes natural resources use and management.
It is to modernize pastoralism, not by urging the pastoral breeders to settle or by making them some intensive breeders, but by emphasizing the logic of pastoral production system strategies which enable sustainable economic, social and environmental profits, and by emphasizing the use of new opportunities arising that were not present in the past (mainly due to technological/infrastructure reasons).
The objectives of the study
The objective of this study is to provide evidence that sustainable pastoralism is a way for sustainable development for several communities and natural resource use, and to demonstrate the conditions under which transitioning pastoralism towards a green economy can be made more effective.
The study will use a framework for understanding sustainable pastoralism in connection with the green economy and will contribute to strengthening that framework.
More specifically, the publication has the following aims:
- Examine pastoralists’ and pastoral livelihoods’ innovations, both in social terms and in connection with the green economy, and with special attention to the incorporation of traditionally marginalized groups, especially women and youth {The results of the WISP trainings on pastoralism and dryland resilience conducted so far will be used to elaborate the framework for these innovations}
- Document contributions and different challenges of pastoralism in future societies, especially under a green economy;
- Present experiences and solutions to strengthen the transition of pastoralism towards an inclusive and green economy;
- Demonstrate evidences of the impact strengthening pastoralism in an inclusive and green economy, in particular eradication of marginalization, poverty and food insecurity, environmental sustainability and improvement of biodiversity (including ecosystems management);
- Examine strengths and weaknesses, opportunities for an effective contribution of pastoralism to an inclusive and green economy;
- Present and analyze the complexity and the richness of the theme.
- Present recommendations for an improvement of the contribution of pastoralism to the green economy and the adoption of this as post-2015 sustainable development goal.
The study is designed to inform decision makers and practitioners of how sustainable pastoralism is innovating to tackle new challenges and making use of new opportunities, and how it is walking the path towards an inclusive and green economy.
The study aims to enable advocates to make a more convincing and evidence-based case for pastoral innovation, and to enable policy makers to identify policy gaps and bottlenecks that are undermining efforts to sustainably develop pastoralist societies.
The results will be presented also at the UNEP General Assembly.
Framework for analysis
Case studies are guided by a common framework, which the consultant should use to guide the synthesis report, but the report should critically examine the framework and inform further dialogue, research and investment in innovations in pastoralism, pastoral livelihoods, and incorporation of elements to benefit from an inclusive and green economy.
The framework consists of the three (3) pillars of sustainable development:
- Social (Pastoral livelihoods, Governance, Human development and pastoral communities poverty; marginalization; incorporation of women and youth);
- Economy (pastoral production system, marketing, international trade of pastoral products and fair-trade);
- Environment (rangelands ecosystem management, biodiversity, climate change).
The case studies are expected to shed some light on the value of the framework and provide insight into sustainable pastoralism and the way it innovates, it adapts to new challenges, and it contributes or could contribute more to the green economy.
Deliverables and Process
The consultant is expected to develop the study outline in close consultation with IUCN to ensure that the final deliverables meet requirements for global policy dialogue.
The consultant is also expected to work closely with IUCN staff in providing feedback to contributors, taking into consideration the linguistic diversity of contributors and the diversity of professional backgrounds (i.e. a mixture of trained academics and field professionals with different writing styles).
- Provide a first technical report on existing knowledge on pastoralism transitioning towards an inclusive and green economy.
- Incorporate the ideas submitted by the network and incorporate them into the technical report.
- Review all case studies and provide feedback to authors on areas requiring improved analysis as well as editorial comments (including comments on referencing);
- Provide an annotated outline of the proposed synthesis report for approval by IUCN;
- Provide a draft synthesis report for peer review;
- Provide a comprehensive Executive Summary of no more than 3 pages that can form the basis of an independently published briefing note;
- Incorporate comments and provide a final report.
Timing
Total duration of the contract: 32 days over 10 weeks.
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Task
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Days
Allotted
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Schedule
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Production of first synthesis
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8
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31st Oct 2013
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Feedback on synthesis from IUCN
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||
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Incorporate the ideas sent from the network
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2
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14th Nov 2013
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Review of case studies and feedback to authors
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8
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31st Dec 2013
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Submission of annotated outline
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2
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7th Jan 2013
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Feedback on outline from IUCN
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–
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Submission of draft synthesis report
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10
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31st Jan 2014
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Feedback on draft report from IUCN
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–
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Completion of final report
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2
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8th Feb 2014
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Application Process
For this consultancy IUCN is looking for an expert in pastoralist governance and natural resource management with great writing skills.
The consultant will have an excellent command of the English language, and working knowledge of French and Spanish will be an added advantage as some case studies may be submitted in these languages. (If required, translation of these studies by IUCN will also be possible).
The consultant should email samples of published work along with their resume and a letter outlining their required remuneration to wisp@iucn.org.
The deadline for applications is September 30th 2013.